- MDL to Build India’s Largest Shipbuilding Dry Dock in Mumbai.
- New Shipyards to Boost India’s Defense and Commercial Shipbuilding.
- Royal HaskoningDHV to Lead Design and Project Management for MDL’s Expansion.
Royal HaskoningDHV, the global engineering company, has won two contracts totalling €9 million from Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), India’s premier shipbuilder. The project includes detailed design and project management services for two new shipbuilding and repair facilities in Mumbai. The new yards will be linked to MDL’s current shipyard, which will form a gigantic shipbuilding complex with India’s largest shipbuilding dry dock, which will be able to house the nation’s next-generation aircraft carriers, reports Royal HaskoningDHV.
Engineering Excellence and Sustainability
As part of MDL’s expansion, Royal HaskoningDHV will undertake shipyard planning, geotechnical and environmental surveys, and detailed engineering for the two new shipyards. The firm will also handle procurement consultancy and project supervision. The new shipyards will be designed with a focus on sustainability, using green construction practices and climate-resilient infrastructure. The project will be expected to support local jobs and assist in the growth of ancillary industries, enhancing India’s shipbuilding industry.
Nhava Yard: India’s Biggest Dry Dock
The bigger of the two shipyards, Nhava Yard, will be built on a 40-acre greenfield plot on the opposite side of the channel from MDL’s current shipyard. The campus will contain up to 30 buildings such as dry berths, fabrication houses, workshops, and utilities. One of the major features of the yard will be its gargantuan dry dock measuring close to 600 meters long and 60 meters wide. Reserved for the construction of aircraft carriers and heavy commercial ships like Suezmax tankers and bulk carriers, the Nhava Yard will be a key centre for defence as well as commercial shipbuilding and repair. The complex has the potential to generate about 1,500 more jobs.
South Yard Annexe: Enhanced MDL Infrastructure
The second complex, called the South Yard Annexe, will be constructed alongside MDL’s current shipyard. It will have a wet-basin-cum-drydock, hard stands, and a jetty along the waterfront with roll-on/roll-off facilities for the loading and unloading of ships. The location, encompassing the Clarke’s Basin of historical interest, was formerly a British-built ship repair facility and has been leased from the Mumbai Port Trust for 30 years. This expansion will create about 500 new jobs and promote the development of small and medium enterprises in the shipbuilding industry.
A Vision for Modern and Efficient Shipbuilding
“Driving this expansion is our growing order book and need for new shipbuilding and repair facilities,” said the Director of Shipbuilding at MDL. “These best-in-class yards will have the flexibility to function independently and be able to work together as a single integrated yard, meaning three yards can each work on different modules of the same vessel at the same time. This modular construction approach can reduce lead times and cost, further strengthening the call to ‘Make in India.’”
A Solid Partnership and Environmental Emphasis
Royal HaskoningDHV has had a long-term association with MDL, with prior collaboration in developing its existing shipyard in Mumbai between 2006 and 2013. The firm’s skills were used to create the wet basin, Goliath crane, and cutting-edge workshops, which were completed within time and budget.
“We already enjoy a strong working relationship with MDL. From 2006 to 2013 we helped to upgrade its existing yard in Mumbai. This included providing the design and engineering consultancy services for the wet basin, Goliath crane, and state-of-the-art workshops delivered on budget and on time,” said Aslam Bijapur, Director for India and Bangladesh at Royal HaskoningDHV. He also emphasized the importance of environmental sustainability in the project, stating, “Building any shipyard comes with environmental risks, so an important aspect of this project is to perform rigorous environmental risk and impact assessments and to ensure that we design facilities with a low carbon footprint while being climate resilient.”
MDL as a Key Player
The new facilities will have solar power, natural lighting, and green construction techniques in accordance with the Indian Green Buildings Council rating system. The design process for the new yards is likely to take 18 months, and construction of the Nhava Yard is likely to take 48 months, while the South Yard Annexe is likely to take 36 months to complete.
The innovative project will not only boost shipbuilding capacity for India but will also make MDL a mainstay in the defense and commerce maritime industries.
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Source: Royal HaskoningDHV
